Mr Kinski's Music Shack

The Regan & Bricheno bandcamp page sets the scene for this album:

“With Julianne Regan as a green-eyed Elizabeth Taylor to Tim Bricheno’s temperant Richard Burton, All About Eve rides again – in spirit if not in name.”

This is a great scene setter, as APPARITIONS is clearly not just a continuation of the All About Eve songbook, but an expansion of Julianne and Tim’s songwriting and arrangement skills. It would have probably been very easy to rehash past glories, and tread a safe path, but any fears of this being the case are smashed to pieces within a couple of songs.

The album opens with the only “old” track, RAINDROPS, which was released on the now out-of-print 2006 Keepsakes All About Eve compilation, and at the time was one of the first tracks to feature Tim Bricheno playing on an All About Eve song since 1989.

RAINDROPS deserves to be heard again away from the compilation, and is a lovely pop song, underpinned by jagged guitar lines.

Out with the old and in with the new. PALE BLUE EARTH feels like it is referencing Bowie at several points in the lyrics, and again with the affectionate musical nod to Heroes towards the end of the track. The playful, widescreen production is what I hoped to hear, after soaking up the sneak previews we were treated to prior to the albums release on the duos social channels.

PALE BLUE EARTH is the first song on the album to draw its inspiration from the past – with late 50s / 60s space race references indicating the endless possibilities of the future. The experimentation in performance and production is a clear step-up from Julianne’s and Tim’s past collaborations.

SÉANCE widens the musical palette further, with a psychedelic, trippy soundscape, and Twin Peaks referencing keyboard lines. Before the drum machine kicks in, I get hints of early John Foxx in the use of space and minimalism.

“Is there anyone there?
Silk echoes, electric, on paper thin air
A soft phosphorescence, a liminal presence,
The scrape of a chair”

There is a real maturity in the arrangement on SÉANCE, with the track twisting and changing pace, but it never feels forced or un-natural. Throughout the whole album, the guitar is a natural part of the equation, used sparingly so when it appears, it cuts through to maximum effect.

With LUXURY OF REFLECTION, nostalgia seeps through every single note of this beautiful track. Falling snow (referenced in several songs), wistful strings, bells and an icy, Goldfrapp Felt Mountain melody are key ingredients that will surely tug at your emotions.

The memories are warm and sepia-tinged, apart from the quite sharp line towards the end.

“Of all the songs I’ve written for you
Here’s the one you’ll never hear”

RADIUM already seems to be an early fan favourite from reading the comments on social media. An unconventional love song spraying its deep longing amongst the mushroom clouds, sadly RADIUM was released a little too late to be included in the soundtrack to Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, as it would have been a perfect fit.

AMERICA is perfectly placed in the running order next to RADIUM. Both are similarly paced and are both paeans to the culture and idealism of the ghost of America. Amongst the beautiful, delicate arrangements on AMERICA comes a discordant guitar line that jars and jolts you, before quickly giving way to mellotrons and atmospheric, spacey guitars.

The love and endless exploration that has gone into the production on this song makes it a pure joy to listen to. Real hairs on the back of your neck stuff, as instruments pan back and forth across the rich soundscape.

At the time of writing, this is my personal favourite from the album.

“And I’d have liked to have found
Wild blueberries after the first frost
And I’d have dressed warmly
Brought my camera along”

ROSES ROUND THE DOOR, with guitars set to stun, has all the ingredients of a classic All About Eve song of old. Sad songs say so much and boy, is this a sad song. A key takeaway from ROSES… is to always tell the ones you love how you feel about them. Before it’s too late…

“Won’t you promise me that you won’t make the same mistakes
And that you honestly
Won’t forget to tell your darling you adore them
And get to smell the roses round the door”

DEAR LONELY HEART is a song that appeals to my inner goth and my dark, twisted heart, grabbing the All About Eve template to simply rip it up and start again. Featuring some of Mr Bricheno’s finest guitar lines, and a chorus to die for from Julianne, it is an instant classic.

Just as the song hits its peak, it’s over, leaving you wondering if the scars were ever healed? A heart-breaker.

“Someday a girl will come who doesn’t love guitars”

HONEY’S OCEAN is built from sparse acoustic guitar, mellotron and an 80s drumbeat that gives way to a sumptuous chorus, and Ray Bradbury referencing sci-fi lyrics.

The ghost of David Bowie haunts several tracks on APPARITIONS, and his influence on Julianne and Tim feels strong on HONEY’S OCEAN. As throughout the whole album, the production and the arrangement is as much of a star as the two artists themselves.

WHAT TO WEAR TO A FUNERAL closes APPARITIONS. Any song that mentions the sublime Wichita Lineman is instantly a friend of mine.

The reference to funeral playlists in WHAT TO WEAR TO A FUNERAL reminds me that I need to write my own funeral playlist down. I was discussing mine recently with my better half, and mentioned that Follow You, Follow Me was one of my requests for when I shuffle off my mortal coil. On discussing at a later date, I was presented with “you wanted a Genesis song, I can’t remember which one”, so I’ll probably get something horrific like Jesus He Knows Me. A haunting, I must go.

Sorry, I digress. Back to WHAT TO WEAR TO A FUNERAL, it rounds off a perfect album. So much attention has gone into the sequencing of the album, with 5 or 6 second gaps between tracks, giving you the time to recover and reflect before the journey continues.

Julianne has one of the most unique and recognisable voices in pop. Add to this her production, bass / keyboard / programming and arranging skills that work so well alongside her rekindled musical partnership with Tim, it helps the duo deliver a perfectly crafted album, that is lyrically strong and builds on their significant past history, whilst laying strong foundations for an exciting future.

APPARITIONS is available to purchase now as a download via Bandcamp, with a physical release to follow, hopefully later this year.

Buy APPARITIONS on Bandcamp

Tracklisting

RAINDROPS
PALE BLUE EARTH
SÉANCE
LUXURY OF REFLECTION
RADIUM
AMERICA
ROSES ROUND THE DOOR
DEAR LONELY HEART
HONEY’S OCEAN
WHAT TO WEAR TO A FUNERAL

Recorded by Tim Bricheno and Julianne Regan at Shabbey Road Studios, London, and Little Box Studios, Somerset.

Singing by Julianne Regan.
Electric and acoustic guitars by Tim Bricheno.
Bass guitar by Tim Bricheno & Julianne Regan.
Keyboards and programming by Julianne Regan & Tim Bricheno.
Co-produced by Julianne Regan & Tim Bricheno.
Mixed and mastered by Tim Bricheno.

Artwork:
Lana Bricheno – Cover art photo collage
Julianne Regan – Design and lyric booklet artwork

Additional contributions:

Toby Bricheno:
Co-mixing on Roses Round The Door and Pale Blue Earth
Co-arrangement of strings on Luxury of Reflection
Kevan Gallagher:
Acoustic Guitar tone on Honey’s Ocean
Tony Kiley:
Drums on Roses Round the Door and Dear Lonely Heart